Evanesce (The Darkness #2) (13 page)

“You think? Could have warned me, you prick.” He smacked Theo’s hat off his head as he walked by to follow Nora outside. He found her standing under the shade of a large maple tree. As he approached, she whipped around.

Nora’s blue-black hair flew around her face in a frenzy, her blue eyes glittering with fury. Her chest rose and fell in fits, her hands were clenched at her sides and even though she barely came up to his shoulders, Gabe had no doubt she could pack a hell of a punch if she put all that temper into her swing. She was captivating and irresistible; knowing she was beyond fucking pissed at him just made him want to snatch her into his arms and chase her anger away with his tongue. He knew just what to do to make her moan and writhe in passion.

“Have you lost your damn mind, Gabe? Is there some possible way that you’ve missed what the hell is going around here lately? Women are disappearing faster than we can blink. And their babies—” The horror was too much for her, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. “You and Theo can’t go off half-cocked thinking you’re some kind of fucking super heroes, okay? If something happened to you…”

Gabe sighed and slowly drew her against his chest, cradling her head. Drawing a hand through her thick hair, he sought to put her at ease.

“Look, baby, you can’t let yourself get all worked up like this. We’ve got a plan to work with the authorities on this, Nora. We’ll be doing some investigating on our own, yes—but mostly we will work with them. I didn’t mean to cause you worry, baby.” He kissed her forehead tenderly before continuing to explain.

“Theo let it slip that some outside resources are being brought in. Some Sheriff that has experience in cases similar to this. Brady James. Sheriff Brady James. So calm down, you know that I’ll be careful. I’m the best damn shot in Texas, after all. And you damn well better know I’ll never let anyone near you. Especially now that I’ve just got you back.” He spoke the last part ferociously. Nora was his, anyone trying to get to her, would have to go through him first.

Nora took a deep breath and looked up into his warm dark brown eyes. His hard jaw was set, and the muscles beneath his chest were tense, but Nora knew that underneath his rough exterior—he meant what he said. He would protect her with his life.

“Alright, Gabe,” she relented. “Let’s see what this Sheriff James has to say. But if you end up dead, I’ll kill you myself.”

S
heriff Brady James
rolled his cruiser to a stop outside of a large, sprawling home in Norton Springs, Texas. While it was by no means a short trek from Durham Heights, he preferred to be behind the wheel of his own cruiser, than any other mode of transportation. The need for control in all things was fierce in him, especially when dealing with cases such as these.

Taking a moment to survey the ranch style home, he noticed two things. There was certainly no cost spared when this home had been built and there was a woman peering at him from behind the curtains in one of the main windows. It was obvious she was trying to remain unseen, but the way the billowing curtain kept swaying back and forth gave away her location.

Chuckling, he unfolded his muscular frame from the car and headed to the front door. Before he could raise a hand to knock, the door was yanked open to reveal the tall figure of another man. Raising his brows, he waited expectantly.

“Sheriff James?” the other man assessed him with hard eyes, as Brady nodded his assent. Recognizing authority when he saw it, Gabe thrust out his hand. “Good to meet you. Come on in.”

Brady clutched Gabe’s hand in a firm grip, the two took a few seconds to study each other and a silent message passed between them; each recognizing the strength in the other. Noticing the woman hovering behind Gabe, Brady removed his hat, clutching it to his chest.

“Glad to be here. Theo said to come straight here instead of the station, said you would be the best one to get me up to speed on things,” Brady had gone along with the request only because he trusted Theo like a brother.

As he stepped into the doorway, he felt a vibration in his pants. His phone. He fished it out of his pocket and glanced down at the caller. Gwyn. Casting an apologetic glance at Gabe, he answered the call.

“Darlin’? Everything alright?” Listening intently, his gaze wandered to the large room to the right of the front door. The culprit that had been spying on him through the window was now out of hiding and staring at him appreciatively. A young woman with dark hair and a sassy smirk.

“Yeah, I just got here, sugar. Let me see what the details are and I’ll give you a call back. Remember to go straight home after your shift at the diner. Earl is going to give you a lift—so don’t even try driving that shitbox car of yours.” His tone left no room for argument, however he still had to hold the phone away from his ear slightly as Gwyn blasted him through the receiver for his high-handed manner. In the end, he won the argument and with a quick round of ‘I love you’s,’ he ended the call.

Sighing, he turned to see the curious faces of Gabe and the woman, who had moved to Gabe’s side. “Sorry about that, folks. My woman—she worries.”

Gabe nodded in understanding and motioned to Nora. “Sheriff, this is Nora. And that over there,” he pointed into the next room to the other female. “Is my sister, Quinn. Quinn, get your ass out here and say hello.”

Quinn sauntered out and tossed a glare in Gabe’s direction. At eighteen, she was full of sass and spunk. A fact that drove Gabe to distraction as he tried without luck to keep her out of trouble.

“Hello,” she complied, gracing Brady with a smile. Brady nodded at her in greeting and turned his attention back to Gabe. Quinn’s gaze was becoming a predatory one and the last thing he needed on his mind was a high school girl’s crush. The sooner he got down to business, the sooner he could get home to Gwyn.

“Shall we…” he started, and Gabe took the hint. A pointed look had Quinn heading off to her room in a huff as he led them through the hallway and into a spacious kitchen, they all sat down at the table. Sensing the Sheriff wasn’t a man that needed coaxing into things, he got straight to the point.

“So Sheriff, what do you know about the Black Market and kidnapping rings?” Gabe waited a few moments while Brady processed his question.

“The Black Market huh? Well, I worked on a case back in New York City that we suspected the Market was involved in. A group of tourists went missing while vacationing from overseas. We had a lead that they were sold for body parts—er,” he cast a wary look in Nora’s direction, but she waved at him, motioning for him to continue.

“Well, we were pretty certain that they were taken with the sole purpose of having their organs harvested for sale. We never did confirm our suspicions and then the trail ran cold,” he finished. “Not long after that I transferred to Durham Heights so I never kept up on the details of that particular case.”

Gabe nodded, his face grim. “Other than that, is there anything else you know about cases like this that could help us?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I just closed a serial killer case a few months back. Well, semi-closed. One of the killers is still on the loose. But we will find her, I’ve made it my personal mission,” Brady explained. Gabe had no doubt that Brady would see his task through, he seemed like a solid guy; a good cop.

“From what you’ve told me and just going on instinct here, I’d say we are dealing with an outside source that is working parallel to the Black Market. Kidnapping these women and children and then making deals to sell them on the Market. It’s highly unlikely that anyone that is actually affiliated with the Market is arranging these kidnappings. These people don’t usually get involved in the dirty work—they hire others to bring the merchandise to them. In this case, it sounds like its newborn babies. I’m unsure where the women come into it though. Why take them?” Brady asked the question more to himself than to Gabe and Nora.

“Sheriff, I completely agree with your theory. Theo and I had come to a similar one ourselves. We wanted to get your raw thoughts first, before you head into town and talk to the locals,” Gabe told him.

Brady nodded, thoughtful. “Look, I can understand what you’re feeling. My woman was threatened a few months back and I would have walked off the ends of the earth to keep her safe from the torture she endured. My best buddy, he lost his wife. So, wanting to make sure the people you care about are as safe as they can be, is something that I can relate to. And from what I can see, you two care very deeply about one another. However, what I can’t condone is vigilante behaviour. Don’t go thinking that you can rush headlong into a situation you aren’t prepared or trained for. That’s how people end up dead. Trust me.” Brady was not a stupid man, he may not have known Gabe for very long, but after sizing him up he could tell that he was not a man that would stand by and not get involved—especially if he thought it would help keep his woman safe.

“Gabe isn’t going to do anything illegal or stupid,” Nora spoke up. “Right?” she asked, with a pointed look at him.

“Right, baby. I never do anything stupid.” Neither Brady nor Nora missed his evasive reply, but both let the matter drop.

“How long are you going to be here, Sheriff?” Nora asked, hopeful that he would be around long enough to help close the case.

“A few days at least, I had to take some vacation to come down here and they don’t give us a lot of that,” he laughed. “Plus, I don’t like being away from home and Gwyn for too long,” he admitted with a sheepish grin.

“Gwyn…is that your wife?” Nora smiled at him.

“Not my wife yet, but she will be. She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. So strong and lovin’. She’s so much more than I deserve. But I’ll be damned if I’ll ever let her get away,” he told them with a wink.

Nora liked the Sheriff. He was a level-headed guy who was clearly protective when it came to the woman he loved. Looking between him and Gabe, she realized that the two were very close to mirror images of each other in the personalities department.

“She sounds lovely, Sheriff. I hope I get to meet her one day,” Nora told him warmly.

“Please, call me Brady. I have a feeling I’m going to see a lot of you two while I’m in town. Speaking of, I should probably head into the station and let them know I’ve arrived.” Brady rose from the table and placed his hat back on his head.

Gabe stood and stuck his hand out, a gesture of friendship. “Good to meet you, man. I know that Theo wanted to touch base with you as well, he should be meeting you down at the station.” Brady took his outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake.

“I’ll be sure to catch up with him then. I’ll check back in with you two later. Nora, it was a pleasure to meet you darlin’.” Nora smiled at him and nodded as Gabe walked him to the door.

Standing in the kitchen, she looked out the big window overlooking the Thornton’s property. The memories of her childhood growing up in that home haunted her. Under the cherry blossom tree is where Gabe and her shared their first kiss, on the small wooden bench is where Mr. Thornton caught them making out at sixteen. Nora giggled at that memory, she didn’t know who was more embarrassed—the two of them or Gabe’s father. This home had been a cherished part of her life, but standing there now…Nora knew she was at a crossroads. She had to decide whether to fully let Gabe back in and give him another chance—or cut her losses and say goodbye to the man that was quite likely the love of her life. The time to make that final decision was rushing towards her faster than she would like.

Gabe came back in after a few minutes. “Nora? Do you want me to give you a lift back over to the ranch before I jump in the shower? I need to wash this mud off.”

“I can wait. I was going to make myself a sandwich—you want?” she asked, raising her blue eyes to his.

Gabe hid his grin. She was getting comfortable in his presence again and he couldn’t have been more thrilled with their progress. Now if only he could talk her out of those little denim shorts, he would call this day a win.

“I’m fine, baby. You go ahead and I’ll be back down in a few,” Gabe walked over and kissed her forehead before leaving the kitchen. Nora closed her eyes and sighed. Picturing Gabe standing in the shower, naked and wet, water streaming over his chiselled muscles and dark tattoos was driving her mad. Ignoring the dampness of her panties, she walked to the fridge and pulled out the fixings for a ham and cheese sandwich. As she absent-mindedly spread mustard on her thick bagette style bread, her mind again turned to Gabe a few floors above her…naked, alone, wet. Dropping the knife with a clatter, she headed for the stairs.

Pausing outside Gabe’s bedroom door, her heart was pounding loud enough in her ears that Nora was certain Quinn would be able to hear it from her room one floor below. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and poked her head inside. The shower was still running, steam flowing out from the crack in the door of Gabe’s ensuite bathroom. Closing the bedroom door behind her, Nora clicked the lock into place, the finality of the sound not lost on her. She knew she was taking a huge leap here, possibly making a decision she wasn’t ready for…but her body could sense Gabe was near. Her senses came alive and her pussy was practically dragging her towards the shower like she was a puppy on a leash.